


My future in your words

by ForestFox



Series: The future in your words. [15]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Bickering, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 20:23:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2705477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestFox/pseuds/ForestFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had been told a long time ago, it was all that had kept him going through the dark times. But he's stopped having faith. No good was to come out of any of this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My future in your words

Jack opened his eyes with a start, looking around. Realizing where he was he frowned wishing to be anywhere else. The winter iced trees lining a pond, and snow as far as he could see only interrupted by outcroppings of stone. He looked down at his bare feet over a frozen pond. “No.” He shook his head. He was not here. He had never wanted to return here.

“No what?” Turning sharply he let out a cry of alarm. Anna stood there smiling at him. Looking as radiant as ever even though her skin was blue from the cold, with clumps of ice in her hair. “Dun be like that Jack, I never see ye anymore. Stay with me for a bit please?”

Shaking off his alarm he pulled her into his arms. His baby sister, not even eight when she had died. And yet here she was, a lump of cold between his arms, her freakish words tempting him to stay. “I’ll stay as long as you want Anna.” He insisted even as she pulled away from him.

“Na, you can’t. I’d keep ya forever if I were selfish brother. But I can never be selfish when it comes to you.” He wondered how her filmy eyes could look so expressive. Still unbelieving of her existence he reached up to stroke his knuckles against her face.

“You were never selfish. A brat certainly, but never selfish.” Chuckling he opened his hand hating how even his pale skin looked healthy against her blue flesh. She didn’t look good like this, but it was the last way he had seen her.

“So ya think. I consider it selfish to die on purpose.” She gave a shrug looking away towards the trees. “I never told ya what I was plannin. I knew you wouldn't understand. Ya never understanded the weight of mah gift. But ya can understand now.”

“Understand that you killed yourself? That’s not true. How could you know you’d fall through the ice- if I had just been faster I could have saved you.” It was automatic. Words he said to comfort himself. Repeated them over and over again to his father, right up until the moment he sold himself to the castle to pay for someone to mind his father. Mind him into his last days and make sure his body was buried right.

He knew the powers his sister had. His mother was gifted with beauty, he was gifted with ice, and Anna - his sweet sweet sister was gifted with the sight. He had always wondered why a girl who could see the near future would take the risk of the ice. It was a question he forced himself to never ask.

“No. I would have found a way. Jack I couldn’t live without her. Just seeing that future was too much. Living it would have killed me anyway. Do you remember what I told ya?” Jack shook his head turning away. She had held onto the edge. Half of her small body had been in the ice cold water. He knew she was dead anyway. Help that could keep her alive was too far away. And yet she had hug on, shaking to tell him her last words.

“I know ya do. I can see the future - so far into the future. For you, I see ya future with the King. How you fall in love that man and how he will give you beautiful children. Oh Jack your life is so long, I can’t see the end of it. But at least four children, and you name one after me. Thank you Jack.” He hated how perfectly repeated his sister has said that. With the gasps for breath and the chattering teeth. Just like he remembered it.

“You promised I would have kids and I still don’t! And the way things are going for me now, I don’t foresee me living long enough to make that happen.” He snapped reaching up to tug on his hair. Oh his life was a mess. It had always been a mess, and it would continue to stay a mess right up until he died.

“I’ve kept that promise Jack. Yer pregnant now It’s a girl… the one ya are gonna name after me. She’s gonna have a big brother just like I did. Ya are gonna treat her right Jack, thank ya for that. Give her the life I coulda had. Only tell her nice things about me, please Jack. It’s time ta say good-bye Jack, please look at me.” His sister begged and he couldn’t help but turn around to her. She seemed even more vivid than before. Rigid with ice, her skin shining with the faint layer of it.

“Why now?” He croaked feeling his eyes sting with tears.

“Because it’s wearing off. This the last time we’ll meet Jack - it’s not safe for ya to go under so deeply. It brings ya closer to me in a dangerous way. Ya know to fear the fae magics. Keep that fear close, we aren’t fae enough to control them. I love ya brother.” He was stunned at the way her voice still reached him though her mouth didn’t move. Her eyes shined at him as she stared though. Her frozen body posed like a child doll.

“I love you too Anna. I miss you.” He choked out.

With a sudden crack the ice gave out and his sister’s frozen body disappeared into the water once again.

Shouting out his horror and pain he sat up. It didn’t take him more than a breath to realize he was not in Aster’s room where he had fallen asleep. In fact the building was in sorry shape, and he could see cracks in the wooden wall. But even as the concubine in him was sneering at the sub par walls, he knew it was to let air in and keep the building from getting stuffy. A quick glance up proved that building steady and sure with a tight roof to keep water out. It was only big enough for one person to live comfortably.

In fact whoever lived here was nearly spartan in their way of life. A single small wooden table, a leather pack propped against the door, and a single cloak hanging on the wall. He could only guess that there would be a proper fire area outside. The only luxury he could feel in the small building was the bed he was laying in. A sack stuffed full of hay. Standing up he decided venturing out was the only way to find out more of his situation.

Shameless he pushed the door open feeling the warm air on his naked skin. He smirked at the small stone fire pit feeling a familiar tug on his memory. He knew this way of living. Had seen it before - rarely, but he knew it.

Not that he was left long to wonder, as his brother suddenly appeared from nowhere.

“Nightlight!” He grinned opening his arms.

Without missing a beat his brother slipped his armored arms around him held him loosely. He couldn’t help but laugh, feeling tears sting his eyes. He hadn’t seen him in so long. Nearly a year since he had last caught sight of him in Aurum, and his distance hadn’t helped.

“What are you doing here… I was with Aster.” He frowned stepping back. He looked up into his brother’s eyes, and frowned at the pain there. He looked down at the seal of Pitchiner on his chest. His brother had no right to even enter Callistephus territory to get to him.. It was against laws. He was almost sure his brother hadn’t gotten permission.

He caught his brother’s hands moving easily. Dread filled him as he answered, ‘I was sent to watch you.’

“You broke laws Where are we?” He tried not to yell at Nightlight, he knew how sensitive his brother’s ears were.

Again his gauntleted hands moved quickly, Jack’s minds still processing the words moments after his fingers had stopped their story telling. ‘Callistephus, far from the capital. Close enough for me to move easily. I have been here as long as you.’

He ran a hand through his hair pulling on it lightly. “Koz sent you then?”

‘You know he’s not the one who sent me. Don’t worry yourself brother, I’ll keep you safe from her. You’re pregnant - just like you always said you would be.’ He glanced up not  surprised to see Nightlight’s warm smile. He had been sceptical at first, but had accepted and planned his future of nephews and nieces with Jack.

“I know.” He stated calmly looking down at his body. A pale hand caressed his flat stomach, the same as ever and yet not. It was that one joyous thought that kept him focused. Kept him away from the disaster things had become.

‘How?’

“Anna told me - in a dream.” This time his brother’s passive face twisted in horror. “I know, I know. I didn’t do it on purpose…I think Aster drugged me. Sent me deep enough - I know the dangers of connecting with the webs. It won’t happen again…I can’t bear to see her again.”

Damn his brother for his comments. He covered his face trying not to picture her frozen face. But he couldn’t, there was no way to stop his remembrance of her dead eyes looking at him, her voice - the memory of life speaking to him in a vision. The curse of the seer making even her echos seem even more lifelike than most.

He felt his hands pulled away, not for the first time hating that his brother was a mute. Hands were shoved near his face, signing, ‘I need your help. The little boy rabbit is dying.’

“What? Fellon? How!” Jack rushed to wipe away his tears and fight his wild emotions. Fellon was dying? When had this happened and why hadn’t he heard about it.

‘I struck him, I never meant to but he moved… he will die if I can’t find him help. I’ve already left him too long in there.’

Rage rushed out of his tight throat in a scream as he leaped towards his brother, arms balled into fists. “He’s as good as dead in there.” He bellowed feeling the wind answer his rage and topple them both over with a strong gust. Ice came without him calling, growing over his hands as he beat down on the armor protecting him. He heard it crack and shatter as it collided with the metal. Still more formed, crawling up his arms as he tried again and again.

 Twisted noises worked free from his brother’s mouth trying to get him to stop. His hands trying to push Jack away. He knew his brother could kill him easily. He was a trained soldier, one of the King’s guards, able to easily break his body a thousand ways and keep him alive to tell the tale. But he wasn’t fighting back. “Fellon was my baby too! How could you?!” He screamed. It wasn’t true. Not really, he knew that. Fellon had belonged to a long dead woman. But he had laid claim to him now.

Though his children would never be great they were still Fellon’s half siblings, just like Nightlight was to him. Fellon was his boy now! He was his mother. It was up to him to keep Fellon safe. “I hate you!” He screamed, feeling one of his frozen arms come down with a crack. A pauldron snap free from his brother’s armor and though it brought him joy, he knew that there was nothing he could do for Fellon.

If the boy wasn’t dead yet. He would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone see what I did there? 
> 
> Yes. This chapter is literally the initial thought I had that spawned this mess of a story.


End file.
